Yes! I've been blathering on for a couple of weeks about getting ready for a solo exhibition of mosaics, and promising photos. Here we go, yo. I've been doing mosaic stuffs for about five years now; I do eight to 12 craft shows a year, and this is my second solo show at a wonderful local coffeehouse/used bookstore that regularly features area artists. (November is a big shopping month, so I'm hoping to score.) The exhibition is called Tiled Upcycled 2011.

For some background, some time ago I had occasion to write an artist's statement. I tried to avoid the wifty-woo-woo artspeak as much as possible.

I’ve always appreciated designer William Morris’s advice to “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” I try to meet both of Mr. Morris’s criteria with my work: everything I make is at least nominally functional; nothing is purely decorative.

I’ve also always enjoyed shopping at secondhand stores and flea markets for interesting pieces that can be refurbished and given a second life. My mosaic craft gives me a wonderful excuse to “go thrifting” in search of my next project.

In addition to being reimagined, every object is repainted, refinished, repaired, or rebuilt as needed. I use stained glass; vitreous glass tile; natural materials such as shells, wood, and semi-precious stones; ceramic tiles; and found objects. I am exploring pique assiette and custom-made polymer clay tile.

Sourcing my “raw materials” from the secondary market means that my product line is unpredictable and that my pieces are typically unique. If you see something you like, buy it! I may never have another one.

« Last Edit: November 02, 2011, 09:00:03 PM by AQB24712 »

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"There's only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you've got to be kind." Kurt Vonnegut"You can bet your last money it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey." Don Cornelius

This might be my favorite piece in the show. It's a box that apparently held a gift set of sommelier tools, judging from the foam liner that I removed. It has one drawer and a lift-off lid, into which I cut a hole to insert a clock fitting that was left over from an abandoned project.

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"There's only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you've got to be kind." Kurt Vonnegut"You can bet your last money it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey." Don Cornelius

Okay, I really like this jewelry chest too. There's a lot going on here. There are three drawers behind the top door. Behind the lower door are ring slots and necklace hooks. And the bottom drawer is musical.

This is another wild jewelry chest. A customer who saw my Tiled Upcycled 2010 show came back to the Quadrant and gave it to Jo (the proprietor) to see what I could do with it.

« Last Edit: November 02, 2011, 09:03:16 PM by AQB24712 »

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"There's only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you've got to be kind." Kurt Vonnegut"You can bet your last money it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey." Don Cornelius

This frame uses a variety of mirrored, iridescent, and Van Gogh tiles. I don't know why they're called that; their color and texture comes from a crinkled foil applied to the back of the glass for a beautiful effect.

Purple lamp, or potential murder weapon.

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"There's only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you've got to be kind." Kurt Vonnegut"You can bet your last money it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey." Don Cornelius